Auliq Ice, a singer, songwriter, poet, and author, wrote, “Becoming conscious of racism does not mean you are a racist.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s purpose in writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, is to convince the church leaders to take action against racism. In those years racism was at its peak; the most heightened time of racial discrimination. King was determined to convince the leaders to take action and that it won’t mean they are racist. King uses metaphors and allusions in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to convince the Church leaders that taking immediate action against the discrimination and immorality against people of color, is crucial.
To begin, King uses metaphors in his letter to the church leaders to strengthen his argument and create a vivid read. King writes a few metaphors in his letter. In one of these he writes:
“When you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television…”
King compares "smothering in an air-tight cage" to the …show more content…
King writes, “It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar.” When King writes about Nebuchadnezzar, he alludes to the story in the Book of Daniel when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. Nebuchadnezzar is furious and throws them into a fiery furnace. They don’t burn and are not harmed. King alludes to this event to show that sometimes people can disobey, be punished, and still be unaffected. This is what he tries to prove to the church leaders- that he can stand up for the right thing, and even though he was put in jail, he is determined to remain
To begin, King uses metaphors in his letter to the church leaders to strengthen his argument and create a vivid read. King writes a few metaphors in his letter. In one of these he writes:
“When you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television…”
King compares "smothering in an air-tight cage" to the …show more content…
King writes, “It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar.” When King writes about Nebuchadnezzar, he alludes to the story in the Book of Daniel when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. Nebuchadnezzar is furious and throws them into a fiery furnace. They don’t burn and are not harmed. King alludes to this event to show that sometimes people can disobey, be punished, and still be unaffected. This is what he tries to prove to the church leaders- that he can stand up for the right thing, and even though he was put in jail, he is determined to remain